Organic Reaction Mechanisms

Abstract

Much research was done on elucidation of organic reaction mechanisms in 1956. This review attempts to cover only those reactions which, in the opinion of the reviewers, are of general importance or illustrate sufficiently novel techniques to be of widespread interest. We have not deemed it necessary to restrict attention to those reactions for which kinetic data are available to establish the molecularity of the transition state. Instead "reaction mechanism" has been interpreted in its broadest sense, namely the manner in which the reactants are converted into products. As a result, considerable attention has been focused on product-determining processes involving unstable intermediates even when the kinetics and mechanism(s) by which the intermediates themselves are formed may be unknown or imperfectly known. No effort has been made to include pure reactivity studies, however interesting for other reasons, which do not give direct new information about reaction mechanisms. A number of important studies have been omitted from this review which are adequately covered in the chapter by King (see page 273).

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